Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture

We see film from within.

Degree programme specification

Are you interested in film and television production? Do you wonder how storytelling works and how film style can be studied? Do you want to delve into the secrets of film theory and become an expert in film history? When studying the Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture program, you will learn to analyze and interpret films; you will understand the circumstances of their creation as well as their reception by audiences and critics. However, if you are primarily interested in the practical issues of audiovisual production and distribution, understanding the creative process behind its creation, and understanding the mechanisms of distribution and release in cinemas and on television, on VOD platforms or at film festivals, there is a program option with a specialization in Practical Audiovisual Studies.

During your studies, you will learn how to effectively use key sources of information about the film industry and the latest digital tools for its analysis. You will meet experienced directors, screenwriters, distributors, cinema operators, archivists, film festival dramaturges, and VOD platform representatives at lectures and seminars, where you will present your own ideas and projects. You will try your hand at being a film critic. You will learn about the latest research and theoretical and practical knowledge about film production and distribution. At the end of your studies, you will be ready to apply for a job in the film industry or improve your qualifications by studying a master's program at high-quality domestic and foreign universities.

You will improve your passive and active knowledge of English by attending lectures given by guest lecturers – world-renowned experts in their field, whom we invite to teach block courses. At these lectures, you will meet talented students who come to us from different countries and continents to study the English-language program Culture, Media, and Performative Arts.

We invite experts from the field, specialists from Czech and Slovak art schools, production and distribution companies, and leading foreign universities. With the support of the Erasmus program, you can study at another European university for an entire semester, with options including universities in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Poland.

We develop close relationships with film producers, distributors, and cinema operators, and our internship team will regularly provide you with a wide range of work experience opportunities.

Is this program right for you?

Are you planning to seek employment in one of the following areas after completing your bachelor's degree, and do you want to be well prepared for that moment?

Distribution of films and series, work in a film distribution company or media company operating VOD platforms

Dramaturgical preparation of television or film works

Dramaturgy and organization of film festivals

Management or dramaturgy of cinemas

Film history research in archival or educational institutions

Audiovisual education at secondary schools

Master's degree program with a focus on humanities, social sciences, or filmmaking at a high-quality Czech or foreign university

Do you agree? Choose between a single-subject study program without specialization or with specialization and submit your application!

Study plans

Audiovisual Studies in Practice

full-time, specialized

Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture

full-time, single-subject

Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture

full-time, major

Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture

full-time, minor

Admission Procedures
Admission to Bachelor's and long-cycle Master's degree programmes in 2026/2027
Submission deadline until midnight 28/2/2026

Information on entrance examinations designed for this degree programme
This programme is taught in Czech.

The criteria for admission for studies are the results of the Field of Study Examination. Applicants may also be admitted based on other criteria, see Admission without the Entrance Examination. The Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University disregards the results of SCIO National Comparative Examinations.

You can file your e-applications for studies from 1 November to 28 February.
Field of study examinations will be held from 20 April to 26 April.
The date and time of the examination will be stated in the electronic invitation for the examination, which will be uploaded to your e-application. The faculty will not be sending paper invitations. Applicants applying for the major study plan and minor study plan in a combined study must comply with the conditions for admission into both plans.
Learning Potential Test (TSP)

For admission for studies in this degree programme, you do not need to take the TSP.

Field of Study Examination
This examination is intended to check the applicants’ knowledge of the given field of study. It is done in the form of a written test. In case additional entrance examinations are held, they may be done in the form of oral interviews.

Basic description of the Field of Study Examination:
Applicants can apply for the Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture programme or for the specialization Audiovisual Studies in Practice of this programme. The test will consist of two or three parts, depending on your application:

Part A, common to both the non-specialized programme and the specialization, focuses on two skills: 1. critical thinking and 2. translation of an excerpt from an English-language publication on film or television. The first part of the test assesses the ability to read carefully, work with examples, and correctly apply previously explained concepts. The second part emphasizes adequate understanding of the original and its linguistically refined translation into Czech or Slovak.
Part B, intended for applicants of the Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture programme without specialization, contains specific questions and tasks related to film and media theory, and the history and present state of Czech and world cinema.
Part C, intended for applicants of the specialization Practical Audiovisual Studies, contains specific questions and tasks related to film and media theory and the current practice of the audiovisual industry. Applicants who apply for both non-specialized and specialized studies will receive all three parts to complete: A + B + C.
Time limit for completing tests A + B or A + C: 80 minutes. Time limit for completing A + B + C: 120 minutes.
Sample Field of Study Test 1
Sample Field of Study Test 1: Answer Key
Sample Field of Study Test 2
Sample Field of Study Test 2: Answer Key
Admission without the entrance examination
You may be exempt from the entrance examination based on participation in a national round of Students’ Professional Activities (SOČ) in the fields of History and Theory of Culture, Arts, and Artistic Creation.
Please upload the officially certified documents directly to your e-application in the section Application for the Exemption from the Entrance Examination no later than 28 February.
Recommended reading for the examinations under this field
For studying Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture, non-specialized:
- BORDWELL, David – THOMPSONOVÁ, Kristin. Umění filmu. Úvod do studia formy a stylu. Praha: Nakladatelství Akademie múzických umění, 2011
- LUKEŠ, Jan. Diagnózy času: český a slovenský poválečný film (1945-2012). Praha: Slovart, 2013
- THOMPSONOVÁ, Kristin a David BORDWELL. Dějiny filmu. Praha: NLN, 2011
For studying the specialization Audiovisual Studies in Practice:
- BORDWELL, David a Kristin THOMPSONOVÁ. Umění filmu. Úvod do studia formy a stylu. Praha: NAMU, 2011
- KORDA, Jakub. Úvod do studia televize 1. Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci: Olomouc, 2014 https://webcentrum.muni.cz/media/3973257/korda-jakub-uvod_do_studia_televize_1.pdf
- KORDA, Jakub. Úvod do studia televize 2: Faktuální televize a její žánry. Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci: Olomouc, 2013 https://webcentrum.muni.cz/media/3973258/korda-jakub-uvod_do_studia_televize_2.pdf
- NICHOLS, Bill. Úvod do dokumentárního filmu. Praha: NAMU, 2022 Podcast Pitch - České podcasty
Evaluation criteria valid for the applicants applying for a place on this degree programme
- Total number of points in part A of the field of study test: 50
- Total number of points in part B of the field of study test: 50
- Total number of points in part C of the field of study test: 50
- Limit for successfully passing each part of the field of study test: 22 points

Studies

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Objectives
The aim of bachelor study is to educate graduates for qualified professions requiring independent analytical, critical and conceptual thinking, cultural overview and media literacy in the field of cinema, audiovisual industry, media, cultural institutions and creative and cultural industries.
Bachelor’s degree study leads to the comprehension and understanding of cinema, i.e. film and audiovisual industry as a complex phenomenon in relevant historical, social, cultural, economic, technical and aesthetic contexts.
Bachelor study provides a systematic set of overview knowledge and basic skills in the field, within the wider framework of humanities and social sciences.
Emphasis is placed on a unified curriculum and a common learning standard that corresponds to the level of general education in the given field.
The curriculum is based on a set of predominantly compulsory and compulsory elective courses (lectures and seminars), the components of which are:
1) subjects on film theory and methodology of film science,
2) subjects on the history of Czech and world cinema,
3) subjects focused on methodological research bases,
4) subjects focused on realization of bacherlor thesis,
4) subjects of leading experts from foreign universities (in English),
5) practical subjects of domestic experts (from the field of film industry, festivals, TV programming, film preservation, etc.),
6) selective research and project oriented subjects,
7) professional practice in the film and audiovisual industry institutions.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the programme, the graduate is able to:
- use a systematic overview of basic theoretical concepts, terminology, historical data and contexts within both Czech and international context;
- use basic research skills: research, archival research, working with sources, and interviews;
- use methods of critical thinking, reading and academic writing;
- solve technical issues and tasks in the sphere of activity of memory, cultural, and media institutions;
- make use of practical experience in the field of memory and cultural institutions, film and television distribution and exhibition.
Occupational Profiles of Graduates
Graduates of the Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture program at Masaryk University tend to be very successful in their careers. They lecture to students at secondary schools and universities, manage creative teams in production, distribution, or research companies and institutions, and find employment in the media, film industry, and advertising. They manage cinemas and festivals, preserve cultural heritage in film archives, and work as film journalists, historians, and critics. Even during your studies, a wide range of opportunities will open up to you, for example in the form of internships, and how you use them will depend solely on your individual talent and hard work.
You can shape the skills you acquire through the program by choosing a single-subject study with a specialization or a suitable interdisciplinary combination.
Practical Training
Some of the courses are directly focused on practical experience. For example, you can form a team with your classmates, which will be given a program slot at the Scala University Cinema for one semester and fill it with a film series according to your own dramaturgy. This includes promotion, moderating discussions, and other attractions. As part of your professional practice, you can complete internships in the media, in a television studio, on film or festival crews, or in a film archive. You can work in the cultural sections of newspapers and magazines and publish reviews. All of this will enrich your professional CV, gain experience, and expand your social capital.
Goals of Theses
The bachelor diploma thesis has a minimum range of 70,000 characters (attachments - bibliographic, filmographic, documentary - are not counted in the minimum range, unless the supervisor decides otherwise).
The bachelor diploma thesis is realized during three follow-up seminars in 4th - 6th semester: in the subject Bachelor’s Project a detailed concept is prepared, in the Diploma Seminars I and II a working version is realized, respectively the final version is being finished.
Students can realize either a research type of work within listed areas of research, or an analysis of a film (audiovisual) work.
Students have to demonstrate the ability to critically work with sources and literature, to apply theoretical and methodological concepts, to formulate research questions and figure out relevant answers.
A detailed procedure including individual outputs is described in the manual for the realization of the bachelor thesis: http://fav.phil.muni.cz/studium/bakalarske-studium/realizace-bakalarske-zaverecne-prace.
Access to Further Studies
The study program continues in a follow-up master's degree program. Alternatively, you can choose a master's degree program in another field of study, primarily in the humanities or social sciences.